NASA honors St. Tammany residents

Sheila Varnado and Lorna Ammond of Slidell, both of Slidell, and Michael D'Antoni, of Pearl River, recently were recognized by NASA's Space Flight Awareness Program. Each was honored for outstanding support of human space flight.

Varnado, an administrative analyst with the A2Research Laboratory Support
Services Contract at Stennis Space Center, was recognized for exemplary contributions to the lab’s safety program for general support to the center, while ensuring quality and safety.

Ammond, a program analyst with the Mississippi Research Consortium supporting the Project Directorate at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, was recognized for providing technical support and analysis
during test project formulation and planning efforts in support of
NASA’s earlier Constellation Program and current Space Launch System
Program.

In recognition of such flight program contributions, the three traveled to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a tour of the center and to participate in activities for the launch on Jan. 30 of NASA’s latest spacecraft in the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) System.

TDRS-K is part of the next-generation series in the TDRS System, a constellation of space-based communication satellites providing tracking, telemetry, command and high-bandwidth data return services.

NASA’s Space Flight Awareness Program recognizes outstanding job performances and contributions by civil service and contract employees throughout the year and focuses on excellence in quality and safety in support of human spaceflight.

The Honoree Award is one of the highest honors presented to employees for their dedication to quality work and flight safety.

Recipients must have contributed beyond their normal work requirements toward achieving a particular human spaceflight program goal; contributed to a major cost savings; been instrumental in developing material that increases reliability, efficiency or performance; assisted in operational improvements; or been a key player in developing a beneficial process improvement.